If Tia hadn’t known Seth as well as she was coming to know him, she might not have noticed the subtle tightening around his eyes and mouth that suggested he wasn’t happy to encounter these people, especially because he smiled warmly and immediately got to his feet to give her a hug and shake the hand of the man standing beside her. “Amy. Serge. How are you both?”

“We’re good,” Amy replied. “It’s you we’ve been worried about. We haven’t heard from you since Shiloh died. What’s it been? Three years?”

“My work has been...crazy,” Seth said, lamely.

The woman’s eyes cut immediately to Tia. “Is this your new wife?”

“No. This is...this is just a friend,” he replied.

Amy covered her mouth, obviously embarrassed by the gaffe. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “We didn’t recognize you from behind, but we saw you when you came in and...” She let her words fade away. They’d been holding hands when they came in. That was what she was trying to say. It wasn’t her fault she’d assumed there was some romantic interest. They’d given the impression they were seeing each other.

Tia had been under that impression, too. They’d spent almost every minute together for the past few weeks. They’d slept together, ate together, visited his family together. They’d even done the fundraising for the humanities building together. The only time they’d been apart was when Seth was working and she was taking care of the houseplants or Kiki.

Her mind flashed back to the diamond earrings he’d given her for Christmas—the earrings she was wearing now—and she knew she’d been right to feel some suspicion. He was trying to use his money to compensate for what he couldn’t or wouldn’t give of his heart.

Suddenly, it sounded as if Tia had a helicopter inside her head that drowned out everything else. Whoosh...whoosh...whoosh... She’d been so stupid! She’d allowed herself to believe things had changed when they hadn’t.

Suddenly she realized the woman was holding out her hand. Tia seemed to have blacked out for a moment, and now everything was moving in slow motion. You can get through this, she told herself. You’re an actress—so act.

Forcing a broad smile, she accepted Amy’s hand and then her husband’s. “How nice to meet you both. Yes, Seth and I don’t mean anything to each other at all.” She laughed as if it was a joke, and they did, too. “How do you know him?”